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Report: Baltimore Orioles will allow Pat Connaughton to play basketball at Notre Dame

Iowa State v Notre Dame

DAYTON, OH - MARCH 22: Pat Connaughton #24 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish handles the ball against the Iowa State Cyclones in the second half during the second round of the 2013 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at UD Arena on March 22, 2013 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

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There were concerns that Notre Dame junior wing Pat Connaughton would have to forego his senior season of basketball after being selected in the 2014 MLB Draft.

But after being selected in the fourth round by the Baltimore Orioles, Connaughton will be allowed to play for Notre Dame this season and finish his season, according to a report from Tom Coyne of the Associated Press.

Connaughton will be allowed to sign a contract for a few weeks that allows him to be back in South Bend on July 30th so he can have a week with the basketball team to prepare for the team’s trip to Italy. Until then, Connaughton will be in Sarasota, Florida with the Orioles’ minor league affiliate.

The 6-foot-5 Connaughton averaged 13.8 points per game last season for Notre Dame. With the return of Jerian Grant to school for his senior season, Notre Dame will have some experience on the perimeter and could surprise some in the ACC next season.

For now, Connaughton needs to focus on baseball. In his junior season, the starting pitcher was 3-5 with a 3.92 ERA in 10 starts for the Irish.

“Until then, I try to make as much baseball improvements as I can, and basically start plugging through the minors as quickly as possible,” Connaughton said to the AP.

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